Thammasat University students interested in political science, geopolitics, security, climate change, sociology, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 18 September Zoom Climate Change, Geopolitics and Security Online Workshop.
The event, on Wednesday, 18 September 2024 at 4pm Bangkok time, is presented by Loughborough University, the United Kingdom and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.
Students are invited to register at this link:
https://app.geckoform.com/public/#/modern/21FO00nosgaund00cn4ez1bnm2
The TU Library collection includes several books about different aspects of climate change.
The event website explains:
We warmly invite you to join us for an online workshop on 18 September 2024, co-hosted by Loughborough University and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, which will explore some of the latest research at the intersection of Climate Change, Geopolitics and Security.
The workshop will involve presentations and interactive panel discussions with experts involved in a variety of projects investigating how the climate crisis and unfolding energy transition are impacting diplomacy and defence.
The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is a private deemed university in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. The school has campuses in Mangalore, Bangalore, and Jamshedpur in India, as well as global campuses in Dubai and Malaysia.
Among the speakers will be:
- Professor John Downey, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Climate Change and Net Zero, Loughborough University
- Professor K. P. Vijayalakshmi: Head of Department, Geopolitics & International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (India)
- Professor Caroline Kennedy-Pipe: Professor of War Studies, Department of International Relations, Politics and History, Loughborough University (UK)
- Dr Dhanasree Jayaram: Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (India).
- Professor Miriam Prys-Hansen, Head of Research Programme “Global Orders and Foreign Policies”, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (Germany).
- Dr Ali Bilgic: Reader in International Relations and Security, Department of International Relations, Politics and History, Loughborough University (UK)
- Dr Duncan Depledge: Senior Lecturer, Department of International Relations, Politics and History, Loughborough University (UK).
- Dr Tamiris Santos, Research Associate, Net Zero Militaries Project, Loughborough University (UK)
- Dr Ali Bilgic: Reader in International Relations and Security, Department of International Relations, Politics and History, Loughborough University (UK)
With any questions or for further information, students may write to
On the website of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a website which generates strategic ideas and independent analysis to help countries and institutions take on the most difficult global problems and advance peace, is posted information on
The Geopolitical Consequences of Climate Change
Climate change is forcing a rethink of the strategic frameworks and assumptions that underlie security policies, as sea levels and temperatures rise. The responses to climate change are also changing the landscape for foreign and security policymakers, with various resources, institutions, and technologies rising or falling in importance. This project analyzes what security means in a 21st century defined by climate change.
A research article from last year examines Five Trends in Decarbonization That Are Shaping Global Politics
These trends, including the rise of China as an electric vehicle exporter and the recent innovations in battery chemistry, could emerge as drivers of change over the next decade.
This year, companies and governments are projected to invest $1.8 trillion in assets, infrastructure, and businesses devoted to decarbonizing the global economy. These investments, as well as the trillions of dollars already contributed since 2000 and the trillions more that will flow thanks to economic and policy support for clean technologies, have the potential to substantially change the world’s energy and climate systems.
Five energy, climate, and decarbonization trends could emerge as drivers of change over the next decade. They include markets, technologies, policies, and choices: taken as a whole, they amount to a collective decision made today on behalf of the future.
Approaching the Peak of Fossil Fuel Demand
It is likely that before the end of the decade, global demand for oil, gas, and coal will peak (see figure 1). In September, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that the “age of seemingly relentless growth” in fossil fuel demand “is set to come to an end this decade.” The rapid rise of renewable technologies in power generation, and of electric vehicles (EVs) in road transport, has meant that fossil fuel growth will soon cease and consumption of oil, gas, and coal will then fall.
That does not mean consumption of oil, gas, and coal will necessarily fall rapidly, or even initially fall at all. As the IEA executive director noted, “fossil fuels have held their share of global energy supply steady at about 80 per cent for decades.” To date, renewable energy sources and EVs have merely displaced what otherwise would have been even more growth in fossil fuel consumption.
But the end of fossil fuel growth means several things. First, it requires those who monitor global changes in energy sources to disaggregate trends among fuels. China is by far the biggest determinant of global coal consumption, and so it will be essential to watch its policy, energy, and environmental decisions about coal. Oil now faces a steadily increasing demand erosion function in the form of EVs, which in 2022 displaced more than 1.5 million barrels per day of oil demand in road transport. While both fuels are currently at all-time high consumption levels, they are also likely at a plateau and remain highly sensitivity to economic and policy factors and demand displacement. Natural gas consumption, on the other hand, is not at a plateau, nor is it likely to hit a plateau this decade.
Yet if gas is the only growth function in the global hydrocarbon market, that trend will have profound implications for global fuels markets. A plateau in demand for fossil fuels will impact decisions about future capital investment in fossil fuel production. Declining demand will force high-cost producers to make their operations more efficient, invest less in new production, or both. Assets with lives measured in decades, such as deepwater oil platforms, refineries, and petrochemical facilities, may look less enticing unless owners are certain of persistently advantageous economics. Fossil fuel producers, be they private entities or state-owned enterprises, will then have to choose among competing strategies: They can prioritize growth to capture more market share as the market shrinks. They can prioritize value and return cash to their shareholders and stakeholders. Or they can prioritize costs and hope that their lower-cost position makes them the marginal supplier of choice for years to come. Not every producer will embody all of these attributes—or, potentially, any of them. High-cost producers, such as those involved in Canadian shale and deepwater offshore oil in Brazil, may find themselves priced out of the global market or returning very little funds to public and private shareholders. […]
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)